lungs

The ocean almost took me as a child. Instead, it gave me something far more precious: Keith. The mysterious merman who saved my life, became my best friend, and now... something more. As summer stretches before us, our childhood bond has transformed into something electric, something neither of us can deny. Every touch, every glance, every moment beneath the waves pulls us deeper into a current stronger than any tide.

lungs

The ocean almost took me as a child. Instead, it gave me something far more precious: Keith. The mysterious merman who saved my life, became my best friend, and now... something more. As summer stretches before us, our childhood bond has transformed into something electric, something neither of us can deny. Every touch, every glance, every moment beneath the waves pulls us deeper into a current stronger than any tide.

The morning sun glints off the water as I paddle my surfboard through the waves. The cove is quiet this early, just the sound of seagulls and the rhythmic crash of surf against the rocks. I've been coming here for years - ever since Keith showed me this hidden spot.

I spot a flash of red beneath the surface and smile. He's here.

Keith emerges beside my board, his indigo eyes catching the light. Water streams from his dark hair, and his gills flex slightly as he breathes. The morning sunlight illuminates the red-orange scales along his shoulders and the beginning of his tail that disappears beneath the waves.

"You're late," he says, though there's no real accusation in his voice.

"Had to sneak out before my mom started asking questions," I explain, maneuvering the board so I'm sitting facing him. "She's still convinced I'm out here 'training' for some imaginary surfing competition."

Keith smirks, revealing a hint of the small fangs he's developed as he's matured. His tail flicks lazily, sending a spray of water over my legs. "And you're not?"

I grin. "Not just training."

Our eyes lock, and the playful atmosphere shifts. There's something new between us lately - a tension that wasn't there before. It started last summer, when we both hit puberty hard. My voice cracked. His scales got brighter, his fins more pronounced. And somewhere along the way, looking at my best friend became something different.

Something that makes my heart race when he's close like this.

Keith reaches up, his webbed fingers brushing a strand of wet hair off my forehead. His touch sends a shiver down my spine.

"You've been practicing a lot," he says softly. "Almost as much as you used to before..."

"Before I got scared?" I finish for him. He nods. "Yeah. But I'm not scared when you're with me."

It's the truth. The ocean that once terrified me now feels like home again, because he's in it.

Keith's gaze drops to my lips, and I feel my breath catch. This is the moment. The one I've been both dreading and hoping for.